REPORT TITLE: PUBLIC HEALTH (CONTROL OF DISEASE)
ACT 1984
COUNCIL ARRANGED FUNERALS
JULIA ROSTRON EXECUTIVE MEMBER FOR SOCIAL CARE
JAN DOUGLAS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
IAN PARKER, DIRECTOR OF ENVIRONMENT
Date 23RD FEBRUARY 2009
PURPOSE OF THE REPORT
1.
To seek Executive approval for revised procedural and financial
arrangements in respect of Council arranged funerals.
BACKGROUND AND EXTERNAL CONSULTATION
2.
The Council has a legal responsibility to arrange funerals for
Middlesbrough residents who die outside of hospital where no suitable
arrangements exist, or are being made, for the disposal of the body.
This applies to cases where there are insufficient funds in the estate to
cover funeral costs, so these costs fall to the Council. The purpose of
the Act is to prevent adverse public health conditions arising and there
is no legal definition on the level of funeral that the Local Authority is
required to provide.
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3.
In February 2003, CMT agreed that Social Care would meet the costs
of funerals for people who died in residential care under a separate
process. However, Social Care would recharge the former Public
Protection and Planning Service for funerals of non-residential care
residents when the deceased or relatives have insufficient funding to
make suitable funeral arrangements.
4.
The Public Protection and Planning Service established a budget of
£6,000 in 2003 to meet the cost of a basic funeral with a cremation or
burial included. The £6,000 budget met the costs incurred in 2003.
The budget, which now stands at £7,000 with annual inflation, now
rests in the Community Protection Service.
5.
Projected costs for 2008/09 are approximately £15,000 (based on
£12,617 charged up to early January 2009). The shortfall has been
met from the Community Protection Service crematorium and
cemeteries maintenance budget.
6.
Costs for the current and previous years are set out below:
Year
2008/09 to date
2007/08
2006/07
2003
7.
Number and cost of funerals (including
crematorium and burial fees)
12 funerals
£12,617 (projected full year cost £15000)
13 funerals
£12,987
17 funerals
£14,336
£6,000
The level of service arranged by Social Care has included the services
of a funeral director, use of the crematorium chapel and a cremation or
burial plus:






Additional Car (£35 minimum)
Organist, when required (£40)
Funeral notice in local newspaper (£60 plus)
Minister fees (up to £150)
Flowers (£25 upwards)
Out of hours visits to view body (as recharged by funeral
director)
The contracted rate for the funeral director is £300 and the standard
crematorium fee is £468.
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9.
It can, therefore, be seen that the Council is currently providing
funerals to a higher specification than many people who meet funeral
costs for relatives are able to afford and at a cost that exceeds that
allocated budget.
10.
The proposal is to review the level of funeral provided and to relocate
an enhanced budget from Community Protection to Social Care. This
would ensure that the Service that organises the funerals, and
recovers whatever costs are possible, has responsibility for managing
the budget.
RECOMMENDATIONS
10.
That Community Protection transfers the sum of £12,000 to Social
Care through a permanent budget virement in 2009/10, who would
then become responsible for managing the budget and arranging and
paying for funerals coming in the scope of this report, with effect from
April 2009.
11.
That the current £468 crematorium fee, for funerals covered by the
table in paragraph 6, be increased annually in line with inflation
applied in the annual budget setting process, which would be less than
the cremation charge set for the rest of the community. For example,
this amounts to a reduction of approximately £33 per cremation in
2009/10.
12.
That the Community Protection Service fund the cost of funerals in the
January to March 2009 through individual approvals.
13.
That the level of service provided for funerals coming within the scope
of this report includes the basic funeral directors fee, the cremation (or
burial interment fee), the use of the crematorium chapel and in
addition only the Minister’s fees and flowers, with no provision made
for additional cars, an organist or press notice.
REASONS
11.
The Council has a legal duty to arrange for the burial and cremation of
the body of any person found dead when there are insufficient funds to
pay for a funerals in the circumstances outlined in this report. The
recommendations ensure that such funerals will continue to be simple
and dignified.
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12.
Budget management will be more effective if the budget is transferred
to the Department responsible for arranging such funerals and thereby
incurring expenditure.
BACKGROUND PAPERS
No background papers were used in the preparation of this report.
AUTHOR: Steve Nelson/Jeff Duffield
TEL NO:
01642 729029/01642 728197
______________________________________________________
Address:
Website: http://www.middlesbrough.gov.uk
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